Favela Tour in Rio de Janeiro
Recommended by 90% of travelers
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Get a glimpse into local life in Rio de Janeiro during a favela tour that reveals a different side of the Marvelous City. In an intimate group limited to 12 travelers, you’ll explore two of the largest favelas in Rio, and benefit from the local insight of a guide as you learn more about living conditions in the city.
- Gain rare insight into life in a favela during a tour of Rocinhas and Vila Canoas
- A great choice for travelers that have already ticked off top Rio attractions
- Delve deeper into local life in the city
- Hassle-free hotel pickup and drop-off are included
What's Included
- Air-conditioned vehicle
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
We can make pick ups from most Hotels/accommodations in the South Zone of Rio. Please indicate the Hotel/place you are staying during your reservation and if your Hotel is not listed please still inform us of your place of stay.
Itinerary
1
Salocin Tour
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Copacabana Beach (Pass By)
Praia do Leblon (Pass By)
Ipanema Beach (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- You will visit Vila Canoas according to weather condition.
- Não operamos tours nos domingos a tarde. Tours sujeitos a quorum minimo para a confirmação final
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 11 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 499 reviews
Monica_G, Apr 2026
Be close to the area and people live experience we probably never back
But was good have the experience
Laura_P, Apr 2026
Excellent tour and guide. We saw what life is like in the favellas. Advise - wear bug spray and proper shoes, flip flops aren't the best idea!
Miryam_K, Mar 2026
This was hands down the most impressive tour I had during my travel in Rio. Our tour guide -Mateush - was so knowledgeable and passionate about the topic of life in favelas. His English is excellent too. Ask for this tour guide for the totally unforgettable experience. Thank you, Mateush!
Tina_S, Feb 2026
The tour was interesting but the guide mostly spoke in Italian as majority were Italian and he did very little in English
Tamara_C, Feb 2026
Go for it if you're curious to see how the less fortunate people live. A little bit of culture as you visit the favela. Simon the tour guide was very nice and spoke English, which seems to be rare in Brasil.
KITYING_T, Feb 2026
Don’t go for this trip if you want to have a deep-dive about Rocinha. I wish I have been informed of this. Technically, this trip covers two favelas - Rocinha and Vila Canoas. However, the time spent on each is disproportionate. We only spent like 40 minutes at Rocinha, of which we were asked to spend 30 minutes at a bar with rooftop viewpoint. The guide, Simon, also seems not passionate about the tour. He does not seem to be from the favela and shares little about Rocinha. All he cares about is how to keep his job. While they claimed that they are the “original” favela tour, originality does not mean that they are good. Hugely disappointed.
Hajj_W, Feb 2026
It was very informative. Our host was very knowledgeable and patient. Our driver was kind as well and dropped us off at the hippie market.
Seah_B, Feb 2026
Our english guide who is originally from England and has stayed in brazil for 36 yrs is a fantastic guide. He took care of us and also explained to us the way of life in the favelas. It is completely safe to travel with an organised 3 hr tour....
KANISHK_K, Jan 2026
The tour was amazing, and the guide was extremely helpful, explaining every detail clearly in English and taking great care of each person in the group. He also took some fantastic photos for everyone.
Petrus_K, Jan 2026
Our guide Meilin was very nice and informative. The Favela tour is a must for anyone who has never done it and it is safe (some are not). Gives you a good perspective of what life in the Favelas is about and also gets rid of some preconceived myths. Highly recommended. Be warned - LOTS of stairs to climb though!
Jason_C, Jan 2026
I'm an American and I took this tour in December 2025. Marcello was great and he did the tour in English and Spanish.
Lots of interesting facts and very educational so thank you! They appear to have a pretty established tour route and everybody was nice to us tourists. Marcello even had a key to an empty favela schoolhouse we could tour. One tip, there's more stair climbing than I expected (wear layers).
5-⭐️ and brigado!
Simon_F, Dec 2025
The guide was so informative about the flavelas and took us to amazing places within the district
It gave us such a great insight
Our driver was superb and cared for our safety
So a really great team
rachel_b, Nov 2025
Really informative tour, lovely lady guide who explained the history of favelas and was so helpful with every one’s questions throughout the tour. Would definitely recommend.
Susan_B, Nov 2025
Excellent experience and felt safe in the hands of our driver and tour guide who translated in many different languages. He ensured the safety and whereabouts of all people on the trip - well done.
Susan_B, Nov 2025
This tour is a must whilst in Rio. Our tour guide Mateos (Mat) was a font of knowledge. Any preconceived ideas you have about the favellas this will change them. There is a lot of walking with lots of stairs so wear sensible shoes.
Christine_M, Nov 2025
Very interesting to see the other side of Rio. However, although the tour advertised seeing two favelas, we didn’t really see much of Rochinas. We were dropped at the bottom of the hill and walked to a local bar for 30 mins then we walked back down the hill to the van. A little disappointed.
cvetro87, Nov 2025
Amazing tour right from pick up! Got a firsthand glimpse into favela life and learned what’s true vs not! My only feedback is that we didn’t really need to spend 30 minutes at the first stop - a bar / viewing area. I also was not expecting the “drop off” after the tour to be a subway ride and then having to walk to our hotels.
Monica_B, Oct 2025
Amazing, insightful, humbling. The favella your is a MUST to truly learn Riio. Barbara, our guide, was AMAZING. a true advocate and teacher.
Michaela_S, Oct 2025
It was nice expirience. We could feel the life in favela. The tourguide Simon was very friendly. The view from the top of favela was amazing.
Neil_D, Oct 2025
The tour provided a good way to visit favelas in Rio de Janeiro. The tour included Rocinha, a large one, and Vila Canoas, a smaller one. The tour guide was informative.
Mariam_M, Oct 2025
the guid was nice, he took lots of pictures of everyone one the and he shared a lot of info !! + they picked us p at the hotel !
Doris_K, Oct 2025
The tour was very well organized. The mix between walking, viewing and receiving interesting information is excellent.
John_J, Oct 2025
Couldn’t recommend highly enough, Barbara was so knowledgable and made the group feel like they were in such safe hands. She not only gave so many interesting facts about the favela, but also seemed to know loads of locals that she would say hi to while we were walking around. Don’t hesitate to bring your phone to the favela as well, plenty of great photo opportunities (Barbara highlighted the couple of streets not to take photos at as well) and definitely safe to have phone on your possession. Thanks a million for the tour!
SCOT_M, Sep 2025
Barbara was knowledgeable and passionate about her tour.
Very helpful and clear with herchistory and local knowledge .
We felt safe and well looked after .
Julia_P, Sep 2025
Very good tour with a great guide Marcelo! It was extremely interesting to see this side of Rio and we would recommend a favela tour to anyone visiting Rio! We just wish it was a little longer where we saw more elements of the favela.
Inguna_S, Jul 2025
It was the best!!! Because our tour gide - Francesco - was one of the best tour gides! He told history, he told interesting facts, he took care about us and gave answers of all questions!!Thank You, Francesco!:))
Nicola_C, Jul 2025
Amazing experience. Matheus was excellent a Favela resident himself he showed us all the residential and local recreational projects which was a real eye opener. Outstanding views from the very top to finish. Our family came away humbled. We felt extremely safe throughout our tour. Would highly recommend to all tourists visiting Rio. A real reality check. Thank you.
Irshad_S, Jul 2025
great tour, great tour guide . Very interesting to understand the different side of Rio. Well priced
Elaine_H, Jul 2025
Tour company confirmed but never picked me up. I waited 30 minutes and eventually booked another tour through my hotel. The tour operator apologized for the mishap later that day.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hello. the tour company is ourselves and we never confirmed the service, yes the platform Viator. Due to an erratic display of information given by the platform we never saw your reservation and could not communicate with you to operate the tour. We cancelled it and provided refund to you. we appologise for the discomfort.
Marcus_M, Jun 2025
I visited Brazil for the first time and signed up for multiple tours. I had a great experience on the All Day Rio Tour. That tour’s shuttle stopped at my hotel. I had no issues in meeting the tour guide and had a great 10 hour tour of Christ the Redeemer, Sugar Loaf Mountain, Maracana Stadium, Seralon Steps, etc. I was not asked to use a WhatsApp as I had never heard of such a tool.
I had a second tour including a train ride to Corcovado Mountain. Again, a great tour.
For my last tour of my trip to Brazil, I signed up for a morning Favela Tour to Rochinho. I had a very different experience. I was told to be out in front of my hotel lobby at 8:50am for a 9am - 12pm tour. I waited at the front entrance for 30 minutes and never heard my name called nor anyone mention Favela Tour. After waiting from 8:40am - 9:10am, I checked my email and saw messages from tour operator that they were looking for me. I told them I’ve been waiting outside in front of the hotel lobby never to hear my name or Favela Tour. I was instructed to pay for a taxi to drop me off at another hotel 1 kilometer away. I feared paying for a taxi and getting to the new hotel and still not see anyone for the Favela Tour. I asked to be picked up at the agreed upon hotel that I paid for. I was told told that was not possible although the tour shuttle was only 5 blocks away and only 6 other people were on the tour. I was blamed for not having the WhatsApp to communicate and told I offended them. I’d never heard of the WhatsApp before my trip as I’m a new visitor to Brazil.
Regardless, I paid for a service I never received. Instead of learning about the favelas, I went back to get my luggage and went to the airport for my trip home. I do not feel customer service was exemplary. I had only good experiences with my Rio Tours except for this Favela Tour with Francesco.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
We feel sorry for such ocurrances as we missed each other, the guide looked for you while you looked for him in a crowded area in a busy time, we tried to locate you either at the hotel or online but past 10 minutes we had to go after the others waiting in next pick up locations, we did offer you to take a 1 minute ride to an hotel nearby but you refused and demanded we had all to come back you what would damage even more the time set with all other passengers, we offered you to join the tour the next day and you never replied. Yes you were rude and made unfair accusations, not nice.
From $33.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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